331.3, plus a little for warmth
Sound has no fixed speed — it borrows one from the air. In dry air the rule is with in °C: 331.3 m/s on a freezing day, and about six-tenths of a metre per second more for every degree above. Room temperature lands near 343 m/s. Warmer molecules pass the message faster — that is the whole story.
Then the classic exam wound: the echo. A shout that bounces off a cliff crosses the gap TWICE — out and back — so the wall stands at , never . Thunder is the opposite trap: the lightning's flash arrives essentially instantly, the rumble makes the trip once, and no ÷2 is invited. Read the journey before you divide.
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